Facing Home (The Clover Series Book 4)

by Danielle Stewart

  Jonah’s face burns hot ember red and his teeth gnash together. “No, no way she’s doing that. I left her the house to sell. I told her to move back in with your parents and let them help with the girls while she got back on her feet.”

  “And I suppose this is her way of telling you to go screw yourself. She didn’t like your plan.”

  Jonah’s eyes look frantic and his breath comes quickly. “You have to talk some sense into her. She can’t do this. She needs to think about our daughters.”

  “I tried talking sense into her but she sees this as the only way she can give the girls the life they deserve. The life you promised them. She doesn’t want to lose the house and she sure as hell doesn’t want to move in with our parents. So since she didn’t listen to me, I thought maybe you would. That’s why I tracked you down, so I can help you get your family back.”

  “I’m sorry, Click, but I’m not bringing you in on this. It’s too big and I’ve worked really hard to distance myself from all of you so the girls stay safe. The only thing you can do is,” he draws in a deep breath and turns his eyes up toward the clouds, “take care of my girls for me.”

  “You really think you’re going to make it on your own out there? You weren’t doing too well without me. Or did you forget about being duct-taped to a chair? You couldn’t outrun them the first time, and they’ll come after you twice as hard now.

  Jonah’s head drops low now and he kicks at a pebble under his feet. “I wasn’t trying to outrun them, Click. If I’m running then they are looking for ways to exploit my weaknesses. They are looking for the people who I’d do anything to protect. If I’m running then Bianca is in more danger.”

  “Wait, so you’re saying instead you’re sacrificing yourself? You aren’t even trying to evade them?”

  “I’m not. But I had a plan.”

  “Cut the bullshit, Jonah.” I’m nose to nose with him and I can tell by the fire in his eyes there is nothing I’ll be able to say to change his mind. He’s unwavering in his plan.

  “When you were deployed there were plenty of times you couldn’t tell us where you were. You did that to keep all your men safe. I don’t dare compare what I’m doing to anything you’ve done. I’m not admirable in any way. But I am trying to do this for the right reason, which is to protect my family. If I’m easy to find they won’t need to leverage anyone I love to get to me. You are a link back to your sister and my daughters. I can’t take that risk.”

  “I can’t let you just turn yourself over to these guys. Maybe if you tell me what’s going on, I can try to find a way to help.” My voice is pleading now. For a moment I’m not the war-hardened Marine, I’m the kid who looked up to Jonah for more than half my life. I respect his desire to protect his family, my family, but there has to be another option. I don’t want to quit on him.

  “Just take care of them. I know it’s a lot to ask. Bianca is a handful,” Jonah’s words catch in his throat as he tries to dam up his emotions.

  “I’m sorry.” My head is low, my eyes turned down. “I’m sorry, but it’s not going to happen. You might not want to tell me what’s going on and you might not want my help, but you don’t have a choice. Bianca is my sister and you bailed on her. She deserves answers. She deserves a hell of a lot more than that. You know nothing about the life I’ve been living for the last six years. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

  “You don’t know what these people chasing me are capable of,” Jonah snaps through grinding teeth. “I’m in deep. Too deep.”

  “You don’t know too deep. Too deep is when bullets are flying by your head while you’re hunkered down trying to hold your position until air support can arrive. Too deep is taking down a target you’ve been hunting for two months and realizing suddenly you don’t have a clear exit strategy.” I pull in a long breath, knowing what I might be willing to admit here could change Jonah’s mind, even if I don’t feel ready to say it. “Too deep is feeling your Humvee explode around you and knowing it’s impossible for all of your men to have survived it.”

  “Click,” Jonah shakes his head and I can see the conflict raging inside of him.

  “I’ve made it through harder fights than this. I can help you. You just need to tell me what’s going on.” The snapping of a branch in the distance draws my attention and I drop to a squatting position, signaling for Jonah to do the same. I pull my weapon and strain to interpret any other sounds. The chatter of two men rises up from the quiet woods and then trails off, getting farther away. When I’m confident they’ve headed in the other direction I holster my weapon and sit down on the rocks. We have a good line of sight from up here; I’ve always been partial to taking a position on higher ground.

  “We stay here until we’re sure they’ve moved on and then we head out. I’ll have a car here to pick us up once we know it’s clear. You don’t have to tell me everything right now, Jonah, but I’m not letting you do this on your own.”

  Jonah takes a seat next to me and rubs at his wrists where the duct tape had held him to the chair. “Fine, I’ll go with you today, but that’s all I’ll agree to right now.”

  “Good, I really didn’t want to have to knock you out and carry you off these rocks.” I throw my shoulder hard into his and he shoves me back.

  “Thanks,” he grunts as he settles back on the rocks and stares up to the sky.

  “We’ll figure this out,” I try to assure him, but really I’m talking more to myself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Click

  Moving stealthily down the rocks and through the small patch of woods reminds me of being deployed. The terrain and the enemy are completely different, but the adrenaline coursing through me is identical. There’s been no movement in the woods for two hours and we’re heading in the opposite direction of where the two men went.

  My plan is to make it back to the residential area and direct Jordan, who I’ve called and prepped, to a quiet backstreet to pick us up. I’m actually worried about how excited she sounded to be our get-away driver. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation or even fear in her voice.

  We make our way to the edge of the woods and stop, both completely silent and waiting for any kind of unwelcomed noise. The rumbling of a distant truck engine is all I can hear. I signal that on the count of three we’ll make a break for it across the street and into the neighborhood. Jonah pulls in a deep breath and puts a steely, determined look on his face as I count it out on my hand and we move. He’s fast, nearly as fast as I am, and we’re down behind a shed in a matter of seconds.

  Pulling out my cell phone, I call Jordan and give her the information to find us. Again, she’s calm as can be as I rattle off the instructions and, before I know it, she’s driving up. Jonah and I rush toward the car and hop in. Our doors aren’t even shut before Jordan is punching the gas and we’re speeding down the street.

  “You did good,” I tell her from the passenger seat, patting her leg and smiling wide.

  “I wish you’d stop looking so damn surprised when you say that. I can handle myself. It shouldn’t come as a shock.”

  I lean across the center console and kiss her cheek, more in love with her now than ever before.

  “So what’s going on?” she asks, playfully shooing me off. “Are you both okay?”

  “We’re fine. When I got to Jonah’s motel two guys had tied him to a chair, and he was getting his ass beaten. I broke in, knocked the guys out, and cut him loose so we could get away.”

  “Don’t make yourself sound so badass in that story and me sound like such a chump,” Jonah cuts in as he leans forward and shoves me.

  “Wait, so who are the guys?” Jordan asks, furrowing her brows nervously at both of us.

  “No clue, the chump won’t tell me who they are or what they want from him. He’s just decided to sacrifice himself to them rather than let me help.”

  “What?” Jordan shoots back as she narrows her eyes at Jonah in the rearview mirror for a moment. “So you still don�
�t know what’s going on? You saved his ass and he can’t even tell you why it was necessary?”

  “Why are you talking about me like I’m not here?” Jonah grumbles as he sticks his head up in the front seat between us.

  “Unless you want to tell me what’s going on, I’m going to treat you as though you don’t exist, because you aren’t offering me anything.”

  “We’re two smart people, Click, I’m sure we can figure this out on our own if we try. What do we know so far?” Jordan asks, and I can see her raise an eyebrow as she glances back to Jonah, searching for his reaction. “Your brother-in-law who, by all accounts, has otherwise lived an uneventful life has abruptly begun acting out of character. He abandoned his wife and children and cleared out the family bank account, leaving them with no safety net. He moves into a motel only thirty miles outside of town under an alias. Though he’s aware he’s being watched, he doesn’t make an effort to leave or evade the people interested in him. So he’s either a cold and heartless man who is also too stupid to know how to keep from being caught, or there is something more going on here.”

  “She’s fun,” Jonah mutters as he crosses his arms over his chest and falls hard against the back seat in frustration. “Where’d you pick her up? Did she flunk out of detective school or something?”

  “You’re right, Jordan,” I say, continuing to ignore Jonah, mostly for the effect I know it will have on him. “The guys chasing him looked like hired thugs. I’m guessing he either got in over his head gambling or it’s drugs.”

  “Good theories,” Jordan says, nodding in agreement. “Drugs and gambling debt can be motives for erratic behavior and sudden personality changes. I learned that in detective school. He seems to be fairly lucid, however. Did you see any physical signs of drug use?”

  “No, unless he’s shooting up between his toes, which is a possibility. I didn’t notice any track marks on his arms. Though he seems paranoid, I think it has more to do with the situation than any substance abuse.”

  “Let’s cross that off the list then. I’m leaning more toward gambling debt. That could account for the draining of his family’s bank account, the men chasing him, and the poor choices.”

  “I’m not making poor choices,” Jonah snaps. “I’m not on drugs and don’t have any gambling debt.”

  “Have you known him to have a history of gambling?” Jordan asks, completely ignoring Jonah’s statements.

  “We used to bet on college football games back in the day. He was pretty competitive about it.” I point my finger up in the air as though that memory is a eureka moment.

  “Click, I’m not in gambling debt. I’m not some lowlife who traded my family for an addiction. I’m trying to help people, other families.” Jonah’s voice is angry now and his defensive tone is growing.

  “When confronted, if he was to be completely indignant of such suggestions, what would that tell us?” Jordan asks me, and, while none of this is a laughing matter, the combination of her seriousness and Jonah’s red-faced anger is pushing me toward the edge of smiling.

  “I don’t know,” I shrug.

  “Tell me more about him, where does he work again?”

  “He works for a tobacco distributor.”

  “What does he do there?”

  “I have no clue.” I turn to look at Jonah and consider asking him, but I’m met with is his middle finger in the air. “I think maybe he’s in sales there? I know it’s one of the oldest distributers in the state.”

  “The tobacco industry has been hit pretty hard over the last decade. There has been an enormous amount of litigation, higher taxes, stronger restrictions on marketing techniques, and better health education that has fewer kids starting to smoke. Combine that with more accessibility to medication and alternatives that get people to quit and that makes for the kind of business that could be struggling to turn a profit.”

  “I don’t know, exporting tobacco is still really lucrative in Tennessee. It employs a lot of people,” I add, not sure where she is going with this.

  “Probably for most companies who have changed with the times, but it’s normally the dinosaurs, the original companies, that struggle most with change. If they don’t evolve, they falter. Do you know what struggling companies do?”

  Out of the corner of my eye I can see the blood from Jonah’s face draining. This is striking a chord. “What?” I ask Jordan.

  “They react like cornered animals. They make bad choices and unethical decisions just to try to stay in the game. They break laws and they cut corners. At my old job we handled this all the time. Companies would bury themselves in wrongdoing and then be forced to sell to a company like mine who could make their past disappear. I’ve seen some appalling practices out of some desperate organizations. And do you know what those companies always have?”

  “What?” I ask again, now turning to look at Jonah head on. I want to read his reaction when Jordan gives me the answer.

  “They always have a whistle blower. That’s normally why they come to us. Nothing is more dangerous to a company than an employee with a conscience. Someone trying to help other families. For example, the kind of person who would be insulted by the accusation of drug use and gambling. The kind of person who would walk away from his family just to ensure they are protected. That’s the kind of a person a company is afraid of. Especially if they have concrete evidence of wrongdoing. They wouldn’t hesitate to send some thugs out to try to deter the person from exposing the information they have. Some companies will stop at nothing to quiet them.”

  The car falls completely silent as Jordan pulls into the parking lot of our hotel.

  “I guess I was wrong about detective school. You wouldn’t have flunked out,” Jonah says with a deadpan look on his face as he rests his exhausted head on the cool car window.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jordan

  I tip the man at the hotel for bringing up a cot and tell Click for the hundredth time that I don’t mind sharing our room with Jonah. It’s no big deal. We won’t be screwing like wild animals on the desk tonight, but I think we can survive. The time we spent in Clover has taken away most of my anxiety about being with people. I can deal with a few nights in a cramped hotel room especially if it means getting to the bottom of Jonah’s problem. Now that I think it has something to do with his company, I’m thoroughly intrigued.

  I watch as Jonah spins the top off another small bottle from the mini bar and wonder how drunk he plans to get. “Do you need a few more of those before you’re going to tell us what you know about your company?” I ask, raising my brows with attitude.

  “I’m not telling anyone anything. I have a plan.” There is a slur in Jonah’s now cocky voice and I can see that last mini bottle of booze likely made him useless for the rest of the night. “I didn’t drain our bank account so Bianca and the kids had nothing. I hate myself for doing it. But I needed them to look wronged by me. I needed them to have little to nothing of worth so these assholes didn’t think they were profiting from anything I was doing. The fools still think this is about money. They believe I’m after some blackmail payout. They are under the impression I did what I did and bailed on my family so I can profit. That’s what I need them to think so they’ll leave Bianca and the girls alone.”

  “And turning yourself over to them? Giving up?”

  “I have a failsafe in place: if anything happens to me the information is released to the proper channels. I wanted them to hear that from me. I needed to get caught to be able to tell them. I needed them to see I had no contact with Bianca and there would be no point in going after her to get to me.”

  “And if they’d have killed you?” Click asks angrily.

  “Then the information would have been released, Bianca and the girls wouldn’t have been targeted, and I’d die knowing that.”

  “Well they didn’t kill you so you were going to . . . what? Run? Never look back?” Click’s accusatory tone is grating on Jonah’s drunk and fragile patien
ce.

  “No, I was buying some time, trying to get in touch with people who could protect us in exchange for the information I have. I had planned to make those contacts first but I got found out. I had to distance myself from everyone and look as though I didn’t care about them. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

  “Have you made any contacts yet?” I ask, my business antennas going up. This is very much a part of the corporate world I’d worked in for years. I know people like Jonah, and I’ve been on both sides of what he is trying to do.

  “No, the lobbyists and bureaucrats my company employs are far reaching. I can’t tell who is in their pocket and who is legit. Everyone I thought I could trust, people I worked with for years, betrayed me. I’m still trying to figure out who I can go to without creating more risk.”

  “Your plan is shit,” I say as I grab the bottle from his hand, pour the rest of it into the small glass tumbler, and quickly drink it down. He looks shocked by my blunt language. “You have no contacts, no real protection, and no way of getting out of this. If these guys are serious, they won’t care if you will or won’t cave when your family is in jeopardy. They figure it will be worth a try. You’re in over your head.”

  “How exactly do you know anything about this?” Jonah shouts angrily.

  “Because, while I may not have been the person strapping the guy to a chair and trying to get information out of him, I’ve had my share of isolating and defusing situations like this. I’ve dealt with the whistle blowers, and I know how seriously a company takes a threat like you. The greater the cost is to the company, the greater the risk to you. Maybe the tactics are different down here, but I’m guessing since they’re willing to cause bodily harm this means you’ve got something crippling on them.”